The ownership of the controversial Weston Hotel was finally put to rest after Ahmednassir Abdullahi, the lawyer for the Deputy President William Ruto, disclosed how the land was purchased.
Appearing before the National Lands Committee (NLC), Ahmednassir questioned the intention of the inquiry and demanded that he be given a complaint from the Kenya Civil and Aviation Authority (KCAA). He said that the land had been legally acquired and no complaint had been raised during the period of construction.
“Our client is not aware of any allegations of fraud or misrepresentation against him in procuring the transfer and registration of the property. In any event, if such an allegation were made, it would be the duty of the person making such claims to prove it.” the lawyer said.
The lawyer disclosed that his client acquired the land from Priority Management Ltd and Monene Investment limited who were the registered owners in 2007 for Sh10 million. The companies had obtained a lease on the land in January 1998 to develop residential apartments.
He explained that Weston hotel applied for a change of user and acquired it in 2007. The directors of the property, DP Ruto and Rachel Chebet Kimeto charged the hotel to Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) for Sh1.2 billion. The property is currently valued at Sh300 million by Zenith(management) Valuers.
“Our client is a bona fide purchaser for value. If there is any defect on the title, our client was not aware of it. The allottee has a valid grant obtained from Government, on which was endorsed the transfer to our client,” added Ahmednassir.
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Martin Muge the lawyer representing KCB asked the commission to consider the legality of the documents presented for Weston Hotel as the bank had overriding interests on the decision that would be made.
The KCAA made a complaint to the NLC stating that the land where the hotel sits was grabbed from them. The Deputy president has in the recent years denied ownership of the hotel.
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